Hockey News

Tucson edged late in Colorado; falls 3-2 in teams' inaugural meeting

By: Alexander Kinkopf

November 02, 2018 8:28 PM

The Roadrunners suffered their second regulation loss of the season Friday night at the Budweiser Events Center, edged 3-2 by the Colorado Eagles, the game’s deciding goal buried with 2:34 left in regulation.

What was the first-ever meeting between the clubs was also the first of many; 11 games remain on the docket between the two, including a rematch Saturday night.

“I think the team is disappointed with how the game ended,” Dysin Mayo said following the affair. “We were frustrated with giving it up late there in the end, so I think we’ll be excited to get back out there tomorrow.”

Tucson was first to find the scoreboard Friday, Trevor Murphy wristing home his third goal of the season, burying a much-welcomed power play goal to give the Roadrunners a 1-0 lead exactly 10 minutes into the contest.

Just over four minutes later, Colorado’s Scott Kosmachuk tied the score 1-1.

In the early stages of the second, Lane Pederson put the finishing touches on a gorgeous odd-man rush sequence that saw four players touch the puck in a three-second span, giving the Roadrunners a 2-1 lead, netting his second of the year.

With 6:19 to play in the middle frame, Colorado tied the game once again with a goal from Ty Lewis.

The third period remained scoreless until the final three minutes, when the Eagles connected on a power play, Andrew Agozzino burying a rebound past a sprawling Hunter Miska to give Colorado a late lead they would not relinquish.

“I think special teams were a big part of the game, and obviously on the penalty kill we want to be a little better,” Mayo added. “We were pushing the pace for a good part of the game, but once we got up, we kind of sat back and let them come back, so that’s something we need to change for tomorrow, we need to play a full 60 minutes.”

Miska stopped 27 of the 30 shots he faced, and is now 3-2-1 on the year.

The Roadrunners’ record currently stands at a 6-2-0-1 mark.

The teams will reconvene Saturday night at the Budweiser Events Center, where the puck is scheduled to drop just after 6:05 PM.